


stories to tell in the dark

by intrajanelle



Series: tell me about the dream [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, No knowledge of PJO required to enjoy, Percy Jackson/Voltron fusion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 10:29:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intrajanelle/pseuds/intrajanelle
Summary: “It’s like an old wives tale,” Hunk added. “It’s supposed to teach you to be careful what you wish for.”





	stories to tell in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Someone telling Lance the story of Sibyl over a campfire.
> 
> if i ever finish the official follow up to 'we were in the gold room' this actually leads to some stuff in that rly well! if not, its still fun on its own haha
> 
> this was prompted by jo! hope y'all enjoy!

“Wait, so you’ve never heard of sibyl?” Pidge asked. “But you’re the oracle.”

** **

Lance, who was currently draped across Keith’s right side, practically his lap, with his head in the crook of Keith’s neck while he demolished a s’more Keith had kindly made for him, responded with a mouthful of sticky graham cracker and spewed chocolate everywhere. “What’s your point?”

** **

“That was my point, you’re the oracle you should know the story of sibyl,” Pidge said.

** **

“So you don’t repeat her mistakes,” Matt said. Pidge kindly elbowed him in the ribs.

** **

Most of the camp was spread across the field in front of the Big House, huddled around a dozen small fires. S’mores materials had been laid out for them along with jugs of milk and cans of soda. Lance and his friends had claimed a fire close to the water, so Lance could hear the thunderous tide nearby like a distant storm.

** **

“It’s like an old wives tale,” Hunk added. “It’s supposed to teach you to be careful what you wish for.”

** **

“What, you mean like how I wished Keith would like me back and now he won’t let me be the little spoon?”

** **

“Lance!” Keith yelped, nearly knocking Lance off the log on which they were perched. Belying his tone, he quickly looped an arm around Lance’s waist to hold him in place.

** **

“What? Babe, you know it's on my mind, we’ve talked about this,” Lance said.

** **

“Keith, that’s not fair, you really need to be more compromising in a relationship,” Adam said in a disapproving tone, but he was grinning when Lance looked over at him.

** **

“Yeah Keith, spooning is an important part of any—” Shiro was cut off when Keith threw a graham cracker at him.

** **

This nearly incited an all out s’mores war, but Allura cut in with a sharp whistle and everyone lowered their closest food items.

** **

“As Hunk was saying,” she said, once they’d settled. “It’s important that you learn the stories of oracles before you, Lance. Someone should tell it.”

** **

She looked around the circle and everyone was conveniently making themselves appear busy, prepping and eating more s’mores. 

** **

Keith didn’t look away fast enough.

** **

“Keith! Excellent, take it away,” she said.

** **

“Uh,” Keith said. “I don’t actually know this whole story.”

** **

“Don’t you?” Shiro said. “I could have  _ sworn  _ it was one of your favorite bedtime stories.”

** **

Keith sent him a sharp look. Lance stayed quiet, hoping if he looked up at his boyfriend with enough innocent curiosity he would be tricked into telling the story without thinking too hard about it. Eventually Keith looked down at him and sighed. Jackpot.

** **

“Sibyl was the name for all oracles in Ancient Greece. They were usually identified by the place they lived, like Delphi and Pessinos. The one these chuckleheads are probably talking about is the Cumaean Sibyl.”

** **

Silence had settled around them. Lance could faintly hear groups at the other bonfires talking and laughing, but the sound of the tide, the crackle of their own fire, and Keith’s clear voice made it feel like they were in their own private universe.

** **

“She was mortal, like you,” Keith nudged Lance. “And Hunk was right, the story is about being careful what you wish for. But it’s also about how despite appearances you should never trust the gods.”

** **

At Camp Half Blood the gods were always listening. Most of them looked to the sky as if anticipating Zeus would strike them down for even suggesting he wasn’t trustworthy. Shiro looked down at the ground and winced, Adam reached for his hand. 

** **

But the gods must have had better things to do that evening, because the sky remained clear and calm.

** **

“And like misogyny and stuff,” Keith said. “Anyways. This sibyl was offered a wish from Apollo in exchange for her virginity.”

** **

Lance made a noise of disgust and Keith chuckled. 

** **

“Yeah, so for her wish she took a handful of sand and asked to live for as many years as the grains of sand she held. Apollo granted this. But later, she refused to have sex with him and he twisted her words. Because she’d never asked for eternal youth, Apollo let her body wither away while she remained undying. She grew smaller and smaller with age and eventually she was kept in a jar, until only her voice was left.”

** **

Lance felt something creep over him. Something like dread. He didn’t think he would ever ask for something like this sibyl had, but he had underestimated Apollo the few times they’d met. He’d seen a silly, handsome older man and assumed he wasn’t a threat. He loved shag carpets and haikuus but he’d also lived for millennia, he’d seen civilizations rise and fall, he’d watched and caused people he loved to die. He’d taken petty revenge on a single woman because she’d refused him, when he had literally until the end of time to find other people to sleep with. 

** **

Never ask Apollo for a favor, Lance thought. Got it.

** **

“There’s a quote from a novel written by a Roman courtier where a character claims he once saw the Cumaean Sibyl hanging in her jar. When asked what she wanted, she asked to die.” Keith paused. “The end.”

** **

“Cool,” Lance said. “Cool cool cool cool cool. Fun story.”

** **

“Wow, I don’t remember that being such a bummer,” Hunk said.

** **

“Keith you made that really sad,” Adam said.

** **

“It’s a tragedy!” Keith said.

** **

As his friends bickered about whether or not Keith had told the story right. Lance looked up at the stars and thought about the woman who had been afraid to die, whose voice was now trapped in a jar. Lance would rather die a dozen times over than wither away to nothing and not be able to join his family and friends for an eternity.

** **

“Hey,” Keith said, jostling Lance so he looked up at his boyfriend. “What are you thinking about?”

** **

Around them, their friends had moved on to scary stories and Shiro was creeping behind Adam’s back. Hunk was laughing at the face Allura made when he mentioned the Hook Man. Pidge was using Daedalus’ laptop to find the scariest of scary stories for their bonfire.

** **

“The future,” Lance said. 

** **

Keith smiled at him. “Don’t think too hard, you’ll hurt yourself.”

** **

Lance squawked and they tussled for a moment, until their friends told them to get a room. Keith promptly shoved him off the log and they tumbled into the grass, hidden from the bonfire by the shadows Keith put his hands on Lance’s cheeks and kissed him quiet.

** **

Lance couldn’t imagine wishing for anything more than this.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading :)


End file.
